With the 2024 Futsal World Cup being held this month, soccer’s quirkier cousin is being thrust into the mainstream spotlight.
A sport dominated mostly by the South American nations, it is often the source of intrigue for football fans around the world given its unique nature and ruleset.
The Sporting News explains the basics of futsal, how it differs from soccer, and where the 2024 World Cup will be played.
MORE: All the latest EPL club news | Team-by-team Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings
What is futsal?
The sport of futsal is similar to soccer but is played on a hard court, often a basketball court, rather than on a grass or turf pitch. It is usually staged indoors.
Each team plays with five players including a goalkeeper, with unlimited substitutions allowed. Because space is limited, the sport emphasizes ball control, combination play, and technical ability.
Futsal originated back in 1930 at a YMCA in Uruguay, when Juan Carlos Ceriani developed it to be played on a basketball court. With Uruguay winning the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, the indoor variety exploded in popularity.
Today, it is popular across South America, central Europe and regions of Asia, with an estimated 12 million players worldwide. Many elite-level soccer players have credited futsal as a key part of their development as younger players, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar.
🇦🇷 Argentina came out flying in their #FutsalWC opener!
HIGHLIGHTS 👇
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 16, 2024
Where does the name ‘futsal’ come from?
The name “futsal” comes from the Portuguese phrase “futebol de salao” or the Spanish phrase “futbol sala”, which both translate to “indoor football” or “lounge football” in English.
The governing body of the sport is the World Futsal Association (AMF, or Asociacion Mundial de Futsal), founded in 1971 originally as International Futsal Federation (FIFUSA) in Rio de Janeiro. It changed to its modern iteration in 2002.
At first, there was a dispute between the World Futsal Association and FIFA over the name of the sport, because FIFA felt it was too close to “futbol.” However, the name “futsal” was registered in 1985.
What are the basic rules of futsal?
While the sport is managed by AMF, the Laws of the Game are arranged and regulated by FIFA. In essence, they’re similar to usual soccer rules: the team that scores the most goals in a game wins.
Futsal is played five-on-five, including the goalkeepers. Squads can be up to 12 players each, and substitutions are unlimited and can be made at any time, including while play is open. A ‘power play’ can be used whereby an outfield player can replace a goalkeeper — a tactic used when a team is chasing a goal when losing late on, rather like in ice hockey.
The indoor playing surface is a minimum of 82 ft. by 52 ft. and a maximum of 138 ft. by 82 ft. The matches are two 20-minute halves with a 15-minute halftime sandwiched between. Each team gets a one-minute timeout in each half.
Fouls accumulate numerically to a particular stage, kind of like in basketball. Once a team passes five fouls committed in a half, any subsequent fouls result in a direct free-kick from an auxiliary penalty spot 10 meters away from goal.
There are no offside infractions in futsal. Players can receive yellow and red cards; in the case of a sending-off, a team must play with one player less for a maximum of two minutes, rather than for the duration of the match. The player that received the red card cannot play again in the game.
🇱🇾🧤 When your keeper can save shots and score goals…#FutsalWC
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 16, 2024
How is futsal different to soccer?
Easily the biggest difference between futsal and soccer is the playing environment.
While soccer is played outside on a grass or turf surface, futsal is played on a hard court and usually indoors. It’s very quick, slightly higher-scoring, and features fewer players on both sides.
Futsal, by its nature, is also a game where individual skill and ball control is given paramount importance. Even the ball itself is designed in such a way to encourage a more flair-driven playing style.
🇵🇹 When Ricardinho caught everybody by surprise…@selecaoportugal | #FutsalWC pic.twitter.com/VZ8l6pgkmw
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 16, 2024
Is a futsal ball different to a soccer ball?
A futsal ball is a size 4, which is one size smaller than a traditional soccer ball. The difference is:
Size 4: 24-26 in. circumference, weight 350-390 g.
Size 5: 27-28 in. circumference, weight 400-450 g.
Futsal balls are also generally a little harder and with less of a high bounce, making them more suitable for hardcourt surfaces and encouraging close-control skills.
When and where is the 2024 futsal World Cup?
The 2024 Futsal World Cup is being played in Uzbekistan, starting on September 14 and running through the final on October 6.
The first Futsal World Cup was held in 1989 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with Brazil winning and the hosts Netherlands finishing second. The United States picked up a third-place finish in that first World Cup and came second the next time out in 1992.
Brazil has won the most Futsal World Cup titles with five of the nine championships but has not won any of the last two. Portugal is the reigning champion with their victory in Lithuania in 2021, beating the previous defending title-winners Argentina in the final.
